


Small Acts of Heroism

by kawaikunai



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 10:37:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4603575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaikunai/pseuds/kawaikunai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For once, Aoba takes it upon himself to be the “hero”.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Acts of Heroism

As the sun began to set, the chirping of cicadas began to fade from the background. Though the light outside was dimming, the summer heat didn’t seem to be letting up. With that observation in mind, Koujaku rose from his seat at the table, earning a quizzical look from Aoba. He tried to ask where Koujaku was going, his question mostly indecipherable due to the fact that his mouth was full of rice, a couple of stray grains flying out and onto the table. Koujaku chuckled and motioned for him to stay put. Careful not to step on any of the toys Aoba had left lying around, he walked over to the other side of the room. There, an old and clunky fan stood unused, left by Tae-san in case the two couldn’t stand the heat while she was out working late. With sweaty fingers, he fumbled with the switch until finally, a cool, albeit weak breeze began to flow out.

Once Aoba had worked out what was going on, he let out another unintelligible noise, although judging by the way he was smiling and moving his arms, Koujaku assumed it was meant to be praise. He returned once more to his seat across from Aoba, grinning. With a gulp, Aoba finally finished the last of his onigiri. He wiped his sleeve against his mouth to remove any food that may have been stuck there before speaking.

“It’s so hot,” he complained, “and Granny never lets me turn on the fan!”

“Hm, maybe because it’s so big. If you’re not careful it could fall on you.”

“Ehh? No way, it wouldn’t fall on me!” Aoba said, and Koujaku couldn’t help but laugh. In reality, it wasn’t too hard to imagine someone as clumsy as Aoba ending up with the fan toppled over him. It was probably for the best that Tae-san didn’t allow him near it.

Speaking of Tae-san, there was no doubt in Koujaku’s mind that she’d be less than appreciative of rice all over her dining table. It was about time to clean up a bit before heading to bed.

“Here, hand me your plate,” Koujaku said, reaching forward. With a pout, Aoba passed his empty plate over, clearly not appreciating Koujaku’s laughter earlier, “you know, after we tidy up we can play for a little bit before bed.” Aoba immediately perked up as Koujaku had anticipated, unable to stay angry for too long over such things. The sink was only a few steps away, and it didn’t take long to rinse the plate. While Koujaku wondered where he could find a towel to wipe up the mess on the table, the lights began to flicker. Before he even had the chance to question it, the power cut completely, leaving them shrouded in sudden darkness.

“Aoba?” Koujaku said, voice full of alarm, as the younger was prone to crying and getting scared easily. His voice sounded even louder than usual, as all the ambient sounds in the background like the washing machine and fan had been reduced to silence. 

“Koujaku?” From where the table was, he heard the shuffle and creaking of a chair being moved.

“Aoba? Aoba, stay where you are! Don’t move!” He was in a bit of a panic now, as it was pitch black all around them. His mind raced with the hundreds of different ways Aoba could injure himself like this. In his haste to get to him, Koujaku’s stepped on something which sent him sliding against the tile, and it only took a second for him to land on the ground with a loud thud.

“Koujaku? Koujaku, are you okay?!” Apart from Aoba’s voice, he felt as though he heard the sound of a cupboard being opened.

“I’m fine, I’m okay,” he winced but ignored the ache in his side in order not to worry Aoba, “don’t worry Aoba, I’m coming!”

As he began to ease himself off the ground, he heard a click and was subsequently blinded by a light shining in his face. He had to blink a few times before he realized that Aoba had managed to find a flashlight. Within moments, Aoba was beside him, face filled with worry.

“It’s okay Koujaku,” he said, patting his arm sympathetically, “sometimes the light goes out, but as long as you stay with me, I can keep you safe from the monsters.” He went especially quiet at the last sentence, looking around cautiously, as though he could be easily overheard.

“Eh?” Koujaku said, “monsters?”

Aoba nodded fervently, “the ones that come out in the dark. That’s why you’re scared right? But it’s okay, I know how to keep them away.”

“Scared?” Koujaku repeated, knitting his brows, before it occurred to him that Aoba had mistaken his worry for fear, “…oh, right,” Koujaku said, nodding seriously, “so you’ll be protecting me from the monsters?”

“Uh huh,” Aoba said, “but we can’t stay here, the kitchen isn’t safe,” he paused for a moment and began to move the light across the room. Koujaku watched in interest, curious about what Aoba was going to do next.

“There he is!” Aoba crawled over to where the light was pointed and grabbed a small plush dog, which Koujaku noted must have been what he had slipped on earlier, “here,” Aoba said, “if you hold him, he’ll help keep the monsters away from you.”

“Okay,” Koujaku took the plushie from his hands and held him tightly in one arm, “thanks Aoba, I feel safer already.”

Aoba nodded in response before holding his hand out, “come on, we have to go now, before they find us here.”

Koujaku smiled, wondering if Aoba had picked up the whole ‘holding hands for comfort’ thing from him. He wrapped his hand tightly around Aoba’s and gave it a squeeze. In turn, Aoba lead him out of the room, constantly moving the light of the flashlight around them, eyes scanning their surroundings like a hawk. When they reached the entryway, Aoba continued his careful surveillance while slowly moving forward. Koujaku remained close behind, choosing to let Aoba take the lead. The heavy silence in the air was interrupted by a loud and high pitched squeak. Even Koujaku was startled enough to gasp, though Aoba took it one step further by crying out and letting go of Koujaku’s hand. Before Koujaku could move into comfort mode, Aoba stepped over in front of him, arms spread wide, legs trembling.

“D-don’t worry Koujaku, I won’t let anything get to you!” Aoba yelled, unable to hide the shaking in his voice. 

“Aoba,” Koujaku said, touched by Aoba’s dedication. He took a quick look around them before zeroing in on a small lump on the ground in front of them, “hey, what’s that,” he said, nudging Aoba towards it.

“Eh?” Aoba squinted before shining the light on it, frowning as he recognized it, “AH! It’s Kamo!” he picked it up and squeezed the rubber duck. It let out another high pitched squeak, “don’t surprise me like that!” With that he tossed Kamo aside in annoyance and crossed his arms.

“Thank god it wasn’t a monster, right,” Koujaku said, doing his best to hold back laughter.

“Monster?” It took Aoba a moment to remember their mission, “oh, the monsters!” He said, squaring his shoulders. He grabbed Koujaku’s hand once more, pulling him to the staircase. They stopped in front, with Aoba shining the light all the way up the steps. He took a deep breath and turned to Koujaku.

“We have to be really quiet,” he whispered,”or else they’ll be able to find us.”

Koujaku gave him a thumbs up, while Aoba took the first step. After a second of scanning the area he motioned towards Koujaku to follow.

His first step turned out to be a misfire, as it sent a loud groan echoing throughout the staircase. Aoba tensed and spun around, holding his index finger to his mouth in a “shhh” motion.

Koujaku nodded apologetically, making his second step much more careful and controlled. The two slowly made their way up, stopping at every creak the staircase made until Aoba decided it was safe, keeping his grip on Koujaku’s hand tight.

“In here,” Aoba said, as soon as they’d reached the entrance to his room. He let go of Koujaku’s hand and slid the door to his room open, “come on, go to my bed!”

Koujaku stepped inside and made his way towards the bed while Aoba shut the door, always a few steps behind. He ran over to his bed immediately after, ripping the covers off and all but shoving Koujaku onto it. Aoba crawled in after him, tugging at the covers until the two of them were enveloped in its warmth.

“As long as you stay under the blanket, nothing can get to you,” Aoba said, balancing the flashlight on top of the bedpost, where its light stayed pointed at the ceiling.

“Thanks Aoba,” Koujaku said, “you were really brave just now.”

“…really?” Aoba said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

“Really,” Koujaku said, truly impressed by his courage, “no monsters stand a chance against you.”

Grinning, Aoba snuggled closer to Koujaku, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. Koujaku laughed and told him not to cling so hard, though he knew it was futile, and the two remained there quietly, where the darkness of the night eventually lulled them into a peaceful sleep, just minutes before the power came back on.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the first day of KouAo week and crossposted from my tumblr.


End file.
